I was hanging out today and ended up watching an interesting episode of Family Guy.
This episode was about Lois taking the family to church because she thinks they need some moral guidance and togetherness. There Stewy is believed to be taken over by the devil. To excape the church the family goes to a family members house in the South. The area they stay at is extremly racist and completly pig headed. In the end, after everything returns back to noraml Peter sarcastically makes a comment about how if parents don't like the morals and attitudes they just portrayed in their shows then be parents and instil what you want into your own children instead of letting them watch the show. Of course it was phrased a little better but the concept made me laugh and after think about it.
There are so many parents blaming the media, the schools, the video games for the behaviors of their children yet they are allowing their kids to participate in these actions. I know, i know, parents can't do everything but thay do have an extremly large impact on their children. Stop the shit before it starts. Its not the schools fault that your 12 year old kid isn't going to class. Especially if the parent doesn't even try to take an active part in their lives. If parents don't even ask how their childs day was.
Also at the same time for the older kids who know the consequences of their actions....take responsibility, its not your parents, the schools, the medias fault if you can't graduated because you skipped classed for the last month your senior year.
so that was my rant on taking responsibility for your morals and your actions. : )
I think a large part of this problem stems from the individualistic nature of the U.S. in general. Don't get me wrong, I love being American and having all the freedoms that come along with it, but it is certainly not without its flaws. I we would be a more interdependant people, informal pressures would grow, enabling the people to hold eachother in check. Instead, everything is left up to the formal powers (law-makers/enforcers, entertainment rating boards, etc). We say that parents need to exert more influence, but those parents say they will raise their kids any damn way they want to. The fact is, most people feel separated from the formal powers, and even more so from informal influence. Thus, whatever everyone else thinks is irrelevent. Everyone is out their to make the best for themselves. Capitalism does not NEED to be that way. You can still live in a capitalist nation while being humanitarian and caring for your fellow citizens. It's great to have the ability to strive to achieve greatness, but you don't have to ignore your brothers and sisters as a result.
What I'm saying is, it's critical that a similar view of norms be shared among people in order for them to live harmoniously together. This is obviously not the case in the U.S. (parenting norms in the case of the Family Guy episode). Until this shared view is achieved, a constant dissonance will plague the U.S. It's amazing we've lasted this long. Yes, the parents need to supervise their children and instill good values and norms, but they first need to open themselves to the idea of being part of something greater than themselves. I don't know if that will ever happen in this country.
I used to hear all these things about that show and I never wanted to watch it but I did once and it surprised me how funny it was. I mean, some parts of it are a little drawn out/completely pointless, but all in all I think it makes a pretty good point, especially that one. If you don't want your kids to learn their morals off tv, teach them something better
The show has a unique sense of humor, I'll give it that.
It's also quite the "smart" humor as well. You won't see the kind of political satire and the poking fun at society that Family Guy is full of on a typical sitcom.
~ *~
This is a signature, an automated thingy that pops up when I comment, not a demand to see my blog!
Mind Control is Easier Than You Think
Ha! I saw that episode (along with many many others...) Peter: "Aw crap, the deep South? Isn't that where the black guys are really lazy and the white guys are just as lazy but they complain about the black guys being lazy?
Family Guy does have some surprising moral messages in it. You just have to look past the fart jokes and Peter's random flashbacks.
~ *~
This is a signature, an automated thingy that pops up when I comment, not a demand to see my blog!
Mind Control is Easier Than You Think
I was watching the same episode that you are talking about yesterday and remember hearing the line at the end and standing up and saying "Damn right Family Guy!" (i knocked a bowl of chips on the floor in the process)
That is why I love shows like Family Guy... because they say whatever they want and alot of times it is something with meaning although most people may not understand it in alot of cases. South Park has evolved in such a way too, that they have brought their toilet humor to a level of actual meaning. Example is the episode that aired during the last presidential campaigns with Bush and Kerrie where in the episode there is an election between a "turd" and a "douche"... outlining not only the point that most americans make that there is not much to choose from but ALSO the fact that we as american need to pay attention to the primaries as well as the general election. We complain that we have no choice but the majority of americans dont vote in primaries... which is utterly rediculus because it is just as important IF not more important than the general election. Anyways, Thanks for your post!
-5mil
haha i didn't know he went to Brown, thats crazy...i can see it though
Ha! Nice rant! I love Family Guy. I think the man who created it went to Brown University...